Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lock device and, more particularly, to a casing that may accommodate an interchangeable lock cartridge (a lock cylinder and shackle, also known in the industry as cylinder core, or simply “core”) that interlocks with a structure. Non-limiting examples of a structure may include a hasp assembly and or a lock assembly that may comprise of a lock handle, a hinge of the lock handle, etc.
Description of Related Art
Most enclosures such as a cargo door are secured by a lock assembly, which may include a lock handle that is moveably associated with the enclosure. Conventional enclosure may further include a hasp assembly where a lock device such as a conventional “hockey puck” padlock may be mounted onto the hasp assembly to lock and prevent the movement of the lock handle of the lock assembly.
Conventional hockey puck padlocks have zero tolerance for accommodating any variations in the hasp assembly that may exceed the hockey puck padlock parameters, making them incompatible with most of the existing hasp assemblies, which limits the use of hockey puck padlocks. Additionally, even if fully compatible, the lock assembly of the enclosure such as the lock handle, lock hinge, lock hinge pin, etc. remain exposed and vulnerable to tampering. Conventional covers may be used in addition to the use of a lock device with the hinge assembly to cover over the entire lock assembly and the mounted lock device and hinge assembly, but the known covers are bulky, time consuming to install and remove, and obviously add weight and cost for securing an enclosure.
A further issue related to securing a cargo door is that in general, the cargo container may be operated by an entity that does not own the container and therefore, may not have the permission to install additional security features to better secure the cargo by further securing the cargo door (which may require drilling holes or other modifications that may damage or permanently alter the door).
Accordingly, in light of the current state of the art and the drawbacks to current lock devices mentioned above, a need exists for a lock device that would be used with most types of conventional lock assembly, that would have tolerances for accommodating variations in hasp assembly, and that would lock and provide protective cover for the handle and hinge portions of the lock assembly. Further, a need exists for a lock device that would be portable and that would secure an enclosure without altering, damaging, or requiring modifications of the enclosure and without being fixedly mounted onto the enclosure.